S. S. Daley Returns to Menswear Roots in Florence’s Historic Palazzo Vecchio

The British brand took over Florence’s historic Palazzo Vecchio as one of the guest designers at trade show Pitti Uomo, marking a shift in strategy to better align with the menswear buying calendar. Shortly after the show, the brand announced investment from Harry Styles, a frequent wearer of the label via his stylist and SS Daley collaborator Harry Lambert.

Two recent accolades - in 2022, he scooped both the LVMH Prize and the British Fashion Council (BFC) Foundation Award - have provided a healthy pot of funding (a combined £400,000) to scale the label, move to a new studio and develop categories like footwear, which he debuted in three styles at the Pitti show, each riffing off a classic British shoe: the loafer, Mary Jane and brogue.

The Pitti Uomo guest designer slot has been a launch pad or amplification moment for some of the industry’s most prominent names including Raf Simons, Jonathan Anderson, Grace Wales Bonner, Erl and Martine Rose. This season, the event invited both Stokey-Daley and Italian menswear label Magliano to show, presenting their more fluid take on menswear.

Having been the music director for the AW23 show in London, Jack Derbyshire of YOUTH MODE was again on hand in Florence to help sculpt the soundtrack, synchronizing with the rhythm of the runway and enhancing the ambiance of the magnificent venue. This season's soundtrack consisted of three songs (Stumpwork, Anna Calls From The Arctic, New Long Leg) by UK band Dry Cleaning.